Debating the World in the Asian Century

As Asia finds itself in the limelight, whether in terms of major power relations, rising insecurity and potential for conflict, or economic governance, it is worth asking, even before broaching the reality of an ‘Asian Century’ just what is ‘Asia.’Asia, as it appears today, is a divided continent and far from being a cohesive unit with no single voice to provide an ‘Asian’ view. Its myriad civilisations, cultures and most importantly, its conflicts, militate in fact against a view of singular Asia anytime soon. Unlike Europe or America, the Asian states also do not share a common normative framework; bonds of history, culture and values are flimsy at best and sometimes even contradictory.